Mir (, , ) (which is derived from the

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

title ''

Emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

'' 'elite, general, prince') is a Persian, Kurdish and Balochi title with variable connotations.

Etymology

The term Mir has its roots in the Arabic equivalent

, which means Prince or General. ''Emir'' is derived from the Arabic root a-m-r, "command". Its other variations are Miran (plural of Mir), Mirzadeh, and Mirza

Tribal Princes of the Persian Sunni Sayyids

Mir is the Persian version of the title of tribal leaders of

Sayyid ''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan ibn Ali, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, Husayn. The title may also refer ...

s, that are addressed in the arabic world as Naqib. Examples for Persian Miran (Plural of Mir) are Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani and the family of the Mir Sayyid Hasan bin Azimullah and Hazrat Ishaan, that are today known as Dakik Family.

Tribal Princes of the Kurdish Yazidis

In the Yazidi culture, the Mîr is the religious and also the administrative authority from the Qatani branch of the Sheikh caste. The former Mir was Tahseen Said Beg, whose son Hazim bin Tahsin Said and nephew Naif ben Dawood contest leadership.

British Empire

The title Mir is also used by various vassals of the British Empire, who are neither

s nor Yezidi.

Examples

In Muslim princely states of British India, a few rulers were formally styled ''Mir'', notably in present

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, where only two of the six have actually reached the level of

salute state A salute is usually a formal hand gesture or other action used to display respect in military situations. Salutes are primarily associated with the military and law enforcement, but many civilian organizations, such as Girl Guides, Scouting ...

, becoming entitled to a gun salute and the attached form of address ''His Highness'': * the Mir of Morni, Garhi Kotaha and Pindrawal part of then Punjab Province and United Province.

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

now

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

and some parts of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

* the Mir of Khayrpur (Khairpur) (17 guns), a

Rajputana Rājputana (), meaning Land of the Rajputs, was a region in the Indian subcontinent that included mainly the entire present-day States of India, Indian state of Rajasthan, parts of the neighboring states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and adjo ...

part of present Pakistan's Sindh province, under a branch of the Talpur clan * the Mir of Hunza (15 guns) The following all remained non-salute states: * The Mir of Mirpur State, under a branch of the above Talpur clan, in Sind(h) * The Mir of Kharan; from 1921, restyled Sardar Bahador Nawab, till 1940 a vassal of the Khan and Wali of Khalat (the senior ruler in British/ Pakistani Baluchistan) * Petty Pashtun ''Northwestern Frontier states'' ** The Mir of Amb (Tanawal), capital Darband; from 1868, restyled Nawwab; from 1921 promoted Nawab Bahador ** The Mir of Nagar, in the northern part of Gilgit–Baltistan. ** The Mir of Jandala State, a petty

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

North Frontier state ''Mir'' was also used as an honor rank. (See: Mirza)

Compound titles

In the subcontinent, since the Mughal period, various compounds were used in Persian including: * combined Indian princely styles, notably Sahibzada Mir *Mīr-tuzak or ''tǒzak'': Marshal, in the sense of an officer who maintains order in a march or procession; master of the ceremonies *Mīr-dah or ''Mīr-daha'': Commander or superintendent of ten: decurion; a Tithingman *Mīr- sāmān: Head steward *Mīr- shikār: Master of the hunt, chief huntsman; also Grand Falconer; hence bird-catcher, and (metaphorically) a pimp *Mīr-ě-ātash or ''Mīr-ātish'': Chief of the fireworks; also Commandant of artillery, Master of the ordnance *Mīr-ě-majlis, shortened ''Mīr-majlis'': Master of the ceremonies or president, chairman of a

majlis (, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning 'sitting room', used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to the Mus ...

(assembly) *Mīr-

mahalla is an Arabic word variously translated as district, Quarter (country subdivision), quarter, Ward (country subdivision), ward, or neighborhood in many parts of the Arab world, the Balkans, Western Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and nearby nations. ...

: Headman of a ''mahal(la)'', i.e. quarter (of a town) *Mīr-ě-manzil, shortened ''Mīr-manzil'': Overseer of the halting-places; Quartermaster-general *Mīr- munshī: Chief secretary; Head (native) clerk of a (colonial) office. *Mir- Hashimi: leader in logar province of Afghanistan ( Mir Samim Hashimi) In the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

kingdom of

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

: *Mir Munshi, from the Arabic Amir-i-Munshi, 'commander of the secretaries', is the Chief Secretary of the Foreign Office. *Mir Umrao, from the Arabic Amir ul-Umara, 'commander of commanders': a senior military officer ranking below a

Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar (, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royal family, royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other Aristocracy (class), aristocrats. It ha ...

and charged with the command of a fort and surrounding territories, the training and equipment of soldiers and the supply of material. In the Baloch kingdom of Balochistan: * Mir Chakar Rind, Ruler of Balochistan in the 15th century. In the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, ''Mir-i Miran'' was used as the Persian equivalent to the Turkish title ''

Beylerbey ''Beylerbey'' (, meaning the 'commander of commanders' or 'lord of lords’, sometimes rendered governor-general) was a high rank in the western Islamic world in the late Middle Ages and early modern period, from the Anatolian Seljuks and the I ...

'' ("Bey of Beys"), alongside the Arabic equivalent ''

Amir al-Umara The office of (), variously rendered in English as emir of emirs, prince of princes, chief emir, and commander of commanders, was a senior military position in the 10th-century Abbasid Caliphate, whose holders in the decade after 936 came to super ...

'' ("Emir of Emirs").Zetterstéen (1986), p. 446

References

{{Reflist

External links

Platt's Dictionary of Urdu&Hindi
Court titles Feudalism in Asia Heads of state Military ranks Royal titles Noble titles Titles in India Titles in Pakistan Titles in Bangladesh Islam in South Asia